Geography Cognitive ItemsThe NAEP geography framework guides the item development efforts. Items are written by Educational Testing Service (ETS) staff, members of the Geography Assessment Standing Committee, and elementary, secondary, and postsecondary teachers around the country. All assessment materials are reviewed by specialists in geography education, measurement, assessment development, and bias. The cognitive items are then assembled into 25-minute blocks, with one 50-minute block at grades 8 and 12. The blocks contain a range of questions covering three content dimensions:
Following approval from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the blocks are spiraled into booklets and distributed to schools for the administration of the assessment. View a table that provides the total number of geography items in the 2001 assessment for each scale and grade. View a listing of the blocks common to the previous geography assessment. Explore sample items and related student performance data from all geography assessment years. Last updated 17 May 2007 |
